Thor versus Hulk? Lestat versus Spike? X-Wing Fighter versus Colonial Viper? Either politely debated or in an incessant internet flame-war, these questions, and many more, have been asked by members of the geek community for years.

Want to be part of the debate? Join the forums at ComicVine , and pick your side. You could watch the action at Ultimate Fan Fights on YouTube and vote for the winner. Or heck, you can just buy some HeroClix and fight it out on your dining room table (choose superheroes from your favoritecomic company, and even pit them against some Hobbits) .

(And we already know the answer to the question in the title…a cartoon can’t beat up Superman, because Superman is a real guy. Sheesh.)

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8 Comments

I like this blog , because each important topic or forum you mention the link is successfully linked to the page or you-tube. The style is comical and slightly bias and sarcastic.I had to read this blog twice because I am not an “Ultimate Fan”. I also like that we can be apart of the debate. Like we have have a voice and an opinion.

I’ve been part of so many, “Who would win” nerd fights since I was a kid, and I’ve always been excited at how people choose to resolve them. No joke, I remember when someone back on USENET argued about the destructive capabilities of Darth Vader’ Star Destroyer, and cited his research.

I really wanted to just feature how these debates are shown and resolved, in just a few ways.

Yeah, I think that’s an important aspect of fandom, that, even though it is often not the case, you shouldn’t have to prove an encyclopedic knowledge to prove yourself a part of the community. What about communities do you guys think brings this about, the need for potential members to be vetted, for lack of a better term, for membership?

I worked in a comic book store in the early 90’s, when Todd McFarlane was just releasing his new Spider-Man book. You could not ever say you liked Spider Man back then…everyone called you a poseur. You had to prove that you’ve been following Spidey since before Gwen Stacey died. And I was right there with ’em, a comic snob, refusing to admit that I even read a Marvel book (besides X-Men…that was okay). To prove you were a real fan, you had to read Cerebus, Sandman, Hellblazer…anything even vaguely “indie.”

Fast forward years later, when I realized, “Hey, I can like stuff just because the pictures are pretty. I don’t have a store full of people to prove myself to. Funny how peer pressure works.

I feel it is often jealousy that drives people to combat on knowledge of a subject. Some people just don’t like to include the basic fans and have to embarrass the newbies just because they hate knowing another fan exists. I’ve noticed even friends of mine who would boast about at least five amazing things they’ve unlocked in a game the minute I said I bought it….It’s not competition, it’s plain bulldozing….kinda makes you not want to be a part of that particular community.

Maybe, when confronted by newer, more casual fans, some of those more intense people feel like their territory is being invaded and they have to establish some kind of dominance. I get that as a casual Call of Duty player…I feel like I’m getting in the way of the community’s fun.

Crossovers spur heated enthusiasm in the most hardcore of fans and therefore make a lot of money. Fox recently confirmed that they will air a crossover episode of The Simpsons, the progenitor of animated sitcoms, and Family Guy next year. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbtZALg3aJs) Video game publishers have made blockbuster franchises thanks to collaborations with other studios. There’s Marvel vs. Capcom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkeKkrxoT8M), in which you can pit X-Men’s Wolverine and Devil May Cry’s Dante against each other (how sweet is that?!?) and Kingdom Hearts, a Final Fantasy and Disney Mashup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kB1FJdBVM4). Because purchasing these licenses for copyrighted characters is so expensive, however, these projects are not determined by the volume of clamor from fans but on a strict ROI basis. Gaming is a high stakes industry!

Absolutely. It seems like a good way to generate revenue…have a mash-up or a crossover. Injustice: Gods Among Us had nothing revolutionary in its gameplay, but you could beat up Superman while playing Batman. That’s got to be worth something.

About mikewgoodman

I am a renaissance-swordfighting enthusiast and I enjoy historical reenactments (where I focus my attention on Elizabethan culture, historical swordfighting, and the London Masters of Defense). I'm an avid roleplaying gamer, have done some game design, and I write.
I share my home with a son who loves games, a wife who loves her garden, and a pack of mercenary cats.